Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) are Innovate UK’s flagship funding opportunity. They support UK registered business to partner with a knowledge base (e.g. university) with a view to bringing new skills and the latest academic thinking to a specific innovation project.
In practice, KTPs involve placement of a skilled graduate (known as a ‘KTP Associate’) within the business to work on a project for 12-36 months, having first been recruited by the knowledge base for their relevant knowledge and expertise. The knowledge base then provides support and guidance to the KTP Associate throughout the project.
Proposals can be for any kind of project, but must show:
- why the business needs a KTP as distinct from other forms of support (see flowchart below)
- what new knowledge is required by the business
- what new capabilities will be embedded as a result of the KTP
Who is eligible?
To meet the above aims, a UK registered higher education or further education institution, RTO or Catapult must collaborate with a UK registered business with two or more full-time employees.
In a recent departure from previous eligibility criteria, KTP proposals involving third sector or public sector partners are no longer supported. This exclusion applies to business arms of charities or other third sector organisations that reinvest any surplus for social, environmental or cultural objectives.
How are KTPs funded?
KTPs are part-funded by a grant from Innovate UK. A typical KTP project delivers a package of support valued at around £80,000 to £100,000 per year. This includes the costs of:
- the academic team
- project consumables
- the associate’s salary
- mentoring, training and development
- travel and subsistence
Businesses will need to fund a proportion of the total project costs, between 50% for larger businesses and 67% for small and medium-sized enterprises (many businesses use research and development tax relief to recoup some of these costs).
Dates and deadlines
The KTP programme runs continuously throughout the year as per the below table. Applications are led by the knowledge base and are supported by a Knowledge Transfer Adviser appointed by Innovate UK.
More information on who can take part, how to apply and typical project costs can be found on the KTP guidance pages.
You can read about success stories on Innovate UK’s dedicated KTP website, where you will also find detailed guidance on the benefits for businesses, academics and graduates.
Additional resources aimed at demystifying KTPs are included below, including a ‘Could your project be a KTP’ flowchart and application scoring guidance that elaborates on the criteria of Impact, Innovation, Challenge and Cohesiveness.